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Considering a new iPhone? Here’s our take on the iPhone 5c versus the iPhone 5s.

What we love about the iPhone 5s

On the whole, the 5s is far more advanced than the 5c and the iPhone 4 because it’s really a whole new phone. We love the sleek, light design and these major pros.

Fingerprint sensor

While the technology isn’t new, it’s about time it was used for something useful like unlocking your phone! Most of us want some security but typing in your password hundreds of times in a day can just drive you nuts. With the iPhone 5s, it’s as simple as scanning your fingerprint. We like that!

Twice as fast

Inside the sleek aluminium case is an A7 chip which is said to speed up processing and graphics up to twice as fast as the A6 chip in the 5c and 5. It’s 64 bit desktop power in the palm of your hand! The 5s also has an M7 coprocessor which handles a bunch of tasks that involve motion data coming in from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass. A dedicated motion processor means that things like maps and even fitness apps can work better and not constantly draw on the main chip.

Better camera

The 8MP iSight camera in the 5s offers heaps of features to make for much, much better pictures. Continuous burst mode lets you snap action at 10 frames per second, true tone flash means your flash doesn’t overexpose all your pics, auto image stabilisation is great for staying focused while you take pics on the move. Plus, you can make square and panorama images as well as the traditional shape and, to save you having to Instagram everything, the 5s also comes with photo filters to enhance your images.

Issues with the iPhone 5s

All the features and improvements we’ve mentioned (and many more we haven’t), draw on the battery. While the M7 coprocessor takes some of the load off the A7, the iPhone 5s still isn’t as economical on battery as we’d like so keep a few chargers handy!

All smartphones seem to be struggling with battery life, so don’t get us wrong… it’s not just the iPhone. We just keep hoping that Apple would apply some of their legendary innovation to the battery issue sometime soon!

What we love about the iPhone 5c

The iPhone 5c is an entirely different phone to the 5s. In fact, its closer relative would be the 5 or maybe even the 4s. So what’s great about the 5c?

The colours & construction

The iPhone 5c comes in white as well as some yummy shades of pink, yellow, blue and green. But this isn’t your traditional flimsy plastic phone; the iPhone 5c is built around a steel-reinforced frame for added strength and also to act as an antenna.

Continuing on the colour inspiration, the iPhone 5c integrates the exterior and interior really well with redesigned app icons and colour-matched, almost luminous wallpapers.

More features than the 5 and 4s

While the 5c doesn’t have all the features in the 5s, Apple wants us to know it’s more than just a coloured iPhone 5. First, the battery is actually a bit better than the 5, and the camera is a bit better. Over the 4s, it’s probably quite a noticeable improvement. An A6 processor instead of A5, ultrafast 4G LTE wireless, more space and a range of other features mean you will notice the difference if you’re moving form a 4s to a 5c.

Downsides of the iPhone 5c

It’s pretty simple really. It’s ‘C’ for colour, not ‘C’ for cheap! The iPhone 5c starts at $AUS739 RRP for the 16GB unlocked or you can have a 32GB for $869 RRP unlocked – the same price as the 16GB 5s.

Umm, far be it for us to dis the importance of the look of a phone! After all, there are a lot of iPhones out there wearing a Sprout phone case! It just seems like an expensive way to add some colour to your life!

Sure, the colours are great but if you’re looking for some variety, you might still need to opt for a Sprout iPhone 5 case to keep things interesting and to keep the jubey plastic shell unscathed.

Our verdict

If you can, go for the iPhone 5s for the technology improvements and get yourself a selection of Sprout phone covers to add the colour to your life!